“WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former Vice President Al Gore will endorse Democratic presidential contender Howard Dean on Tuesday, political sources said, handing Dean a crucial political prize and solidifying his position at the front of the 2004 pack.”

Will someone please explain to me on what basis Gore is making this move? It clearly cannot be because of support for Dean’s unique policy angles; he has none. In fact the only thing the two share is a blind hatred of all things republican, and particularly of George W. Bush.

So why is Gore doing this? Why would he not, say, support his former running mate, instead? Lieberman doesn’t seem to understand this point either. More there’s many who ask the question, why the endorsement so early in the race?

The reason is simple; he’s stuffing it to the Clintons, by way of ignoring their boy, Weasely Clark. Gore has always been far left of center. He had Lieberman to lean his ticket toward the center, if marginally so. Left to his own devices, he’ll lean as far to the rabid left as is physically possible. This then, represents the split between Gore and what laughingly passes for the center in DNC circles.

More, Gore understands that neither Clark, nor Lieberman stands a chance in hell to make it to the general election, much less past it. He figures, therefore, that his best path to a post-election appointment, is to support the obvious front-runner. Ignoring of course that Dean won’t make it past the general election, either.

Bottom line here is Gore’s reasoning for putting his endorsement on Dean is personal in nature, is fat on ‘feelings’ and rather slim on facts and policy.